The invention relates to an agricultural air seeder machine, generally of the type having a plurality of furrow openers for laying seed separated by the multiple singling device. An inlet opening comprises at least two seed outlets, each of which guides a single seed into a furrow opener. The multiple singling device has at least one rotationally driven singling device arranged in its outer region with regularly arranged recesses which surround the singling device on a first side in its lower region. Further, the singling device comprises a housing to accommodate a seed stock, wherein the seed stock surrounds the singling device on a first side in its lower region. By means of a pneumatic pressure drop, existing between the first side and the second side of the singling device, individual seed is deposited on the first side of the singling device in its recesses and is drawn from the seed stock into a seed outlet by an interruption in the pressure drop.
Air seeders deposit seed at defined longitudinal distances in seed furrows, which are drawn in the soil transversely to each other by means of furrow openers. A distinction is made between seeders operating mechanically or pneumatically through pressure differentials (discussed later herein). In order to achieve the defined seed spacing, a seeder is individually or centrally assigned to each furrow opener.
The latter is, for example, shown in the German application DE 10 2010 015 913 A1 as well as DE 10 2006 031 272 A1. Due to the flexible cable routing from the fixed seeder to the furrow openers moving over the ground, this system may be prone to seed laying inaccuracies.
Alternatively, as shown in EP 2 480 063 A1, the seeder may be assigned directly to the row unit with furrow openers, which in general leads to higher seed laying accuracy.
In order to combine the advantages of a series culture with a better distribution of the individual plants, furrow openers with associated seeders are arranged one behind the other and/or offset side by side. Starting from an original range of 30 inches (750 mm), U.S. Pat. No. 7,051,663 B2 halves the distance of the seed furrows to 15 inches (375 mm) by comprising double the number of seeders and furrow openers, but with an increased space requirement due to the longitudinal offset of the individual seeders.
Starting from the aforementioned prior art, among other objects, an object of the invention is to provide a seeder or a row unit thereof, which avoids the respective disadvantages above, but makes possible the assignment of a seeder to a plurality of furrow openers.